Computer Associates AllFusion CA-Panvalet Change and Configuration Software
Authors Edward Cowger, Herb Gepner
Revision Date 16 January 2002

Computer Associates AllFusion CA-Panvalet Change and Configuration Software

    AllFusion CA-Panvalet helps users manage their application code through the software life cycle. It ensures that changes are tracked and that the correct components are used to build the application.
    Note
    Computer Associates has recently released AllFusion CA-Panvalet, Version 14.4. Release 14.4 includes enhancements to the AllFusion CA-Panvalet subsystem such as optional use of SYS1.PARMLIB when using the new CAIRIM Initialization. In addition, the user can define more language types and add members with special characters in the first two columns. The Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) Option has a number of enhancements including the VIEW feature and the capability to perform member compares.

Table of Contents
List of Tables
Table 1: Features and Functions: Computer Associates Allfusion CA-Panvalet Change and Configuration Software
Table 2: Options

Corporate Headquarters

Computer Associates Intl., Inc.

One Computer Associates Plaza

Islandia, NY 11749, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 631 342 6000; +1 800 225 5224

Fax: +1 631 342 6800

Internet: http://ca.com

Overview [return to Table of Contents]

AllFusion CA-Panvalet is a widely used mainframe product for library management. It was designed to support the central storage, retrieval, maintenance and control of source and object programs, job control statements, data files and executable images (through the AllFusion CA-Panexec OS/390 product). It functions in either the OS/390, z/OS or Virtual Storage Extended (VSE) environment. AllFusion CA-Panvalet also supports online access to its libraries through the following product options: AllFusion CA-Panvalet Time-Sharing Option (TSO), AllFusion CA-Panvalet ISPF Option, AllFusion CA-Panvalet Conversational Monitor System (CMS) Option, and AllFusion CA-Panvalet Interactive Control and Computing Facility (ICCF) Option.

Also available as a separately orderable product is AllFusion CA-PanAPT, a tool for automated production turnover. Since mainframe environments are usually heterogeneous with Windows desktops and UNIX and Windows servers, CA also provides AllFusion Harvest Change Management for change and configuration management in these environments.

CA-AllFusion CA-Panvalet is one of the most popular library management products with a large installed base. It is a "mature product" that meets all the major requirements for a library management system in the mainframe environment.

Table 1
Features and Functions: Computer Associates Allfusion CA-Panvalet Change and Configuration Software
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Storage Management Supports members with record lengths up to 4096 bytes. Members with record lengths greater than 80 bytes are treated as having a language type of DATA. Compression is supported for long records.
  Libraries can have up to 128KB physical blocks.
  AllFusion CA-Panvalet supports the capability to ADD members with special characters in columns 1 and 2.
System Components The user works in AllFusion CA-Panvalet through a number of program modules:
• PAN#1/Programmer's Program—provides functions for the addition, retrieval, maintenance, protection, and control of programs and data on the AllFusion CA-Panvalet library. Permits modification and partial selection of data sets, assigns attributes, and formats data set records. Performs sequence checking and other security control functions.
• PAN#2/Library Protection—produces a report on suppressed commands and allocation information; modifies a member's audit information; removes library members to a new protection file based on current status; produces a compressed library for subsequent restoration; locks/unlocks a member; prints partial/complete directory listings; replaces/restores library members; copies members to a new protection file or output library; upgrades a library to the format of the new version.
• PAN#3/Footprinting Utility—initiates processing; rewrites out-of-sequence control records on multivolume libraries; clears a library footprint.
• PAN#4/Library Initialization—formats a direct-access storage device (DASD) extent for use as an AllFusion CA-Panvalet library; identifies PAN#1 commands which become privileged functions and require the use of the CONTROL command.
• PAN#6/Analysis—produces reports that summarize the library composition by user code, status, type, and size.
• PAN#7/Cross-Reference—produces cross-reference reports of all elements of a program or data set, showing common routines, definitions, cross-references within commands, etc.
• PAN#8/Scan—specifies the required library security code; allows scanned field to be replaced; performs searches for individual members, all members of a given language, or the entire library.
Additional System Components SHARED enqueue is supported for the SCAN/REPLACE feature if the job will not be doing a replace function, allowing multiple jobs to have access to a library if update capability is not required.
  The WRITE and SCAN commands allow the member name to be specified in wildcard notation.
  Dynamic Partition Support Utility is supported in the VSE version.
  AllFusion CA-Panvalet allows the SUBSYS=PANV to work using IKJEFT01.
  Can now start subsystem via CAIRIM if desired. Subsystem can now use IEFSSN DD through CAIRIM INIT. It does not require sys1.parmlib to start the subsystem.
  The Extended Features for PGP have been enhanced to support wildcarding.
Extended Features and Advanced Techniques Supplied in source code format for users to tailor. However, the vendor will support these features only in their original form.
  Extended features are implemented through the Extended Feature Facility (EFF), which permits routines to be added permanently or temporarily to AllFusion CA-Panvalet.
  Some of the vendor-supplied routines are as follows:
• Load Module Auditor,
• Extended Backup/Audit Trail,
• JCL Generation (VSE only),
• Partitioned Data Sets (PDS) Conversion, and
• Print file manipulation.
Multiple Partition Protection (MPP) Preserves library integrity; all AllFusion CA-Panvalet programs communicate between themselves to prevent simultaneous update to a library.
User Interface
TSO/ISPF Support AllFusion CA-Panvalet supports IBM's ISPF and TSO in the OS/390 and z/OS environments, the ICCF in the VSE environment, and CMS in the VM/SP environment.
  Batch operations are also supported through the use of the PAN#1 component. Online operations are supported on IBM 3270 (or compatible) terminals.
Installation AllFusion CA-Panvalet for OS/390 and z/OS is distributed in System Modification Program Extended (SMPE) format.
  AllFusion CA-Panvalet for VSE is distributed in Maintain System History Program (MSHP) format.
Documentation AllFusion CA-Panvalet distributes BookManager and portable document format (pdf) files for all of its associated documentation, allowing users to view documentation online.
Language Support
Source Base AllFusion CA-Panvalet is written in IBM BAL. Any programming language can be stored in AllFusion CA-Panvalet.
  Use of the AllFusion CA-Panvalet Subsystem as an extension of the OS/390 operating system extends language processing to the following:
• MVS/VS Assembler,
• High Level Assembler,
• Assembler H,
• PL/1 Optimizing Compiler,
• Pascal/VS Compiler,
• COBOL Compiler and Library,
• COBOL VS Version 2 Compiler and Library,
• SAA AD/Cycle COBOL/370,
• FORTRAN/VS Compiler and Library,
• Advantage CA-Easytrieve Plus,
• DB2 Preprocessor, and
• CICS Command Level Preprocessors.
Recovery Facilities
Basic Requirements Recovery requires the System Administrator to make timely backups of the current library. Using a set sequence of steps from the backup operation can clear system inaccessibility caused by DASD errors, library or directory overcapacity, system errors, etc.
Data Access/Data Bridge
File Transfer Files can transfer across library boundaries. Any VSE file can be transferred without modification to an OS/390 library or from one physical location to another. The AllFusion CA-Panvalet directory tracks characteristics of each member in the library. This directory is used for generating statistical analysis and reviewing reports.
Security
Generalized Exit Manager (GEM) AllFusion CA-Panvalet provides a GEM with several routines to interface to the following proprietary software systems for generalized system-wide security services:
• IBM RACF,
• eTrust CA-ACF2 Security, and
• eTrust CA-Top Secret Security.
  These packages normally afford access security at the data set level but not at the member name level.
  Because these tools view AllFusion CA-Panvalet libraries as simple data sets, the user must provide the security packages with additional information to describe specific details about the requested access.
  The GEM provides an event-driven exit capability. After inspection of the fields and data, the exit indicates what action is to be taken. Following are some of the actions which may be taken:
• Continue normal processing,
• Abort the software component execution,
• Disconnect the exit,
• Disallow the current function but continue with the next one,
• Verify data integrity, and
• Reinvoke the exit to permit insertion or deletion of data by the exit.
File Compression AllFusion CA-Panvalet automatically compresses all data and directory entries in an AllFusion CA-Panvalet library. Optionally, COBOL keywords can be compressed.
PAN/COMPARE Reads two files to determine the differences between them.
  Input files can be sequential files or AllFusion CA-Panvalet members.
  Output includes reports, a delta file, and an AllFusion CA-Panvalet/Batch Update report.
OS/390 Subsystem Interface Used to perform direct sequential I/O and partitioned access from the AllFusion CA-Panvalet library.
  Uses special interface exits as well as dynamic allocation and switched virtual circuit (SVC) screening.
  No other product or screening can run concurrently in the same task with the AllFusion CA-Panvalet subsystem.
Reporting Facility
Print File An output print file reports on all functions performed. The AllFusion CA-Panvalet special reporting techniques can produce a library directory listing and special directory listings based on characteristics, status, or activity.


Table 2
Options
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AllFusion CA-Panvalet TSO Option This option is executable with TSO under any OS/390 or z/OS operating system.
  Executes concurrently in multiple TSO regions and on shared DASD among multiple CPUs.
  Invokes commands entered at the user's terminal during a TSO logon session and uses TSO prompting techniques. Both TSO sequential data sets and PDS members can be addressed.
  The TSO BLKSIZE can be changed without a special fix.
AllFusion CA-Panvalet ISPF (PVISPF) Option This option requires installation of the IBM ISPF and ISPF/PDF products in an OS/390 and z/OS system.
  Allows library members to be placed in an ISPF temporary data set for browsing.
  An AllFusion CA-Panvalet edit facility replaces nearly all of ISPF EDIT's initialization and I/O functions.
  Allows direct use of the AllFusion CA-Panvalet utility functions.
  Supports editing of records up to 246 bytes long.
  The member name field for the Member Selection List (MSL) selection supports the use of wildcard notation.
  The BROWSE facility can be entered directly from the MSL member line as a command line option.
  An enqueue ownership query provides the user the ability to request a list of user IDs and job names associated with all current SHARED and EXCLUSIVE enqueues outstanding in the operating environment, at the time of the query. The user can message the identified user(s).
  When concatenated, AllFusion CA-Panvalet libraries are specified in ISPF/EDIT, the user can select to save the member in the first library in the concatenation or in the library from which it was retrieved. The ISPF HILITE is supported.
  In ISPF/EDIT, the user may optionally activate a member LOCK for the duration of the EDIT process.
PVISPF Options In PVISPF the user has the ability to do compares in the foreground.
  In PVISPF the VIEW functionality is supported.
  In BROWSE, a member is not found, the member will not be cleared from the panel.
  In PVISPF the user has the ability to allow the BROWSE function to use a VIO Dataset as an option.
  In PVISPF the renaming of non-standard panels is not required.
  In PVISPF you have the ability to request an MSL by user-id.
AllFusion CA-Panvalet CMS Option The CMS option provides a read-only access to OS/390 and VSE AllFusion CA-Panvalet libraries and the ability to create a properly named CMS file on a CMS disk for editing, compiling, link-editing, etc.
  Subsequent to CMS editing, programs are submitted to a batch machine for permanent AllFusion CA-Panvalet updating.
AllFusion CA-Panvalet ICCF Option The PAN command processor for ICCF executes concurrently in multiple ICCF pseudo-partitions and supports shared DASD between multiple CPUs, which are running DOS/VSE Release 2 or greater. All standard PAN processor functions can be applied to ICCF library members.
  Supports the PARM='OPEN=INP' option when opening an AllFusion CA-Panvalet Library in PVICCF.


Analysis [return to Table of Contents]

The management of custom-developed software is a critical task for most large business enterprises. Over the years, companies have accumulated thousands of programs and procedures to handle their day-to-day operations. Regardless of where these applications reside, the security, management and the capability to modify these applications as the evolution of the business may demand is of vital concern.

AllFusion CA-Panvalet was designed with the recognition that management and programmer requirements for a library differ. For programmers, AllFusion CA-Panvalet provides member locking so that access to individual modules can be serialized; a powerful compare facility to quickly identify changes; and a comprehensive directory that can contain program comments, status, and language type, as well as up to eight user-defined fields.

For management, AllFusion CA-Panvalet provides access controls, extensive reporting facilities, automatic archival procedures, and interfaces to security products. Furthermore, AllFusion CA-Panvalet makes efficient use of DASD through member compression and dynamic space allocation.

AllFusion CA-Panvalet's only major competition, and these are more alternatives than competitors, are CA products. AllFusion CA-Librarian has been a long-time alternative for many years. Those who have AllFusion CA-Librarian installed, will undoubtedly continue to use that product. AllFusion Endevor Change Manager is an alternative product designed to support enterprisewide homogeneity through its interface with Unicenter Network and Systems Management. Finally, there is the latest CA acquisition: AllFusion Harvest Change Manager. Acquired in the recent acquisition of PLATINUM technology, AllFusion Harvest Change Manager fits neatly into CA's line of Change and Control Management products.

Pricing [return to Table of Contents]

From $8,046 (low-end VSE base license) and from $25,578 (low-end OS/390 base license) (US$).

GSA Pricing

Yes.

Competitors [return to Table of Contents]

Only major competition comes from alternate CA products: AllFusion CA-Librarian and AllFusion Endevor Change Manager.

Strengths [return to Table of Contents]

The main strength of AllFusion CA-Panvalet is that it provides a central repository and control mechanism for all the components associated with major mainframe applications, including source code, object code, build procedures, executable images, job control streams, and data. It emphasizes security/confidentiality as well as control.

Stored members are restricted from modification if in a production status. However, if needed, production members can be copied to create test versions. Accidental or unauthorized alteration of production programs, data files, or job streams is eliminated through restriction of access, retrieval, and deletion. All programs, job streams, and data can be completely backed up for disaster recovery. Since the protection characteristics are retained during backup, protection is never compromised.

AllFusion CA-Panvalet also supports direct input to the MVS/VS Assembler, Assembler H, High Level Assembler, PL/1 Optimizing Compiler, Pascal/VS Compiler, COBOL Compiler, COBOL/VS Version 2 Compiler, SAA AD/Cycle COBOL/370, FORTRAN/VS, DB2 Preprocessor, CICS Command Level Preprocessors, and Advantage CA-Easytrieve Plus.

Limitations [return to Table of Contents]

For several years, there has been an outstanding limitation for those users who require the strictest library security. The LOCK function is optional rather than mandatory, thus opening a window that allows for member compromise. Also, because the user exits are written in Assembler, installation of a new release requires scrutiny of the data passed to the exit routine. In effect, this requires a systems programmer who is familiar with BAL programming, a skill that may not be readily available in today's PC-oriented world.

Insight [return to Table of Contents]

Computer Associates clearly recognizes that the users of AllFusion CA-Panvalet have invested significant resources in the use of the product and have no desire to make a change. The current AllFusion CA-Panvalet product set allows users to continue to exploit their investments in their existing mainframe and mainframe-centric libraries. CA has assured these users that AllFusion CA-Panvalet will continue to track advances in S/390 and z/OS technology and new restrictions within the operating environments that it supports. For users developing software change management policies for the first time, CA recommends that the installation fully define its needs and review the full range of products it offers, then select the one most appropriate for that environment.